The first occurrence.
And God blessed them, saying: Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let winged creatures multiply in the earth. Gen 1:22
The primitive root.
Strong’s H7235 רבה rabah; a primitive root meaning, “to be great.” The 3-letter root is resh + bet + hey.
resh ר = the head of man, thus head, first, top, beginning, man
bet ב = the house, thus house, household, family, in, within
hey ה = the man w/ upraised arms, thus look, reveal, wonder, worship, breath
The story: The head (resh) of the house (bet) who abounds in revelation (hey, i.e., wisdom). The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon says,
“Each family has a master that rules all cases, trials, conflicts and contests. This person was the representative for the whole tribe, one abundant in authority and wisdom.”
This master is the greatest or most renowned person of the tribe, usually the patriarch; thus, to be or become great.
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